some might jump in here and start help, spence and marlborough and archer. >> that or even what we spend on our clothes for children alone will put -- >> we'll take any amount. >> absolutely. >> caryl stern gets tonight's last word. "hardball" is up next. >> the bands of marriage. let's play hardball. ♪ good evening. let me start with this. are we living in a liberal hour? john kerry is now this country's

majority opinion. well, something here has stirred, but what is it? what has shifted the country from two-thirds against same-sex marriage to more than 50% for it. compassion, common sense? idea fatigued? the idea to specify a single argument against it? or is it family, friends, co-workers and public by so many people that they are gay. is this why so many have changed their mind in marriage equality? in some cases, a major breakthrough. our guest, clark cooper and joan wallace. let's take a look at something that george will said this weekend. and the question is has the opposition of gay marriage softened, even among conservatives? let's watch it. >> this decision by the supreme court came 31 days after an

election day. never happened before. now, the question is, how will that influence the court? it could make them say it's not necessary for us to go here. on the other hand, they could say it's now safe to look at this because there is something like an emerging consensus. quite literally, the opposition to gay marriage is dying. it's old people. >> dying, that's brutal. will is on something there. the question is barely an issue for young people. take a look at this gallop poll from just last month. 73% of younger people in the younger age category, 73% of people between 18 and 29 say same-sex marriage should be valid. only 26% of that group say that i had don't like it. what i want to start with, clark, could you have lived this? you're gay, you're republican, which i've always found interesting.

you can explain it. your party is against same-sex marriage. you fought that battle. in the public positions will argue about that in a minute. what do you make among the intellectuals, he's always been raining pretty high now. well, what george is saying is a reflection that we've seen in the platform debates. there actually was a debate about doma, about striking doma from the platform. those who fought for it tended to be much older. so, yeah, the younger the republican, the younger the conservative. the chances are they're agnostic. >> now we're going to go to blows. here it is. the language on gay marriage and the republican platform this year. "we reaffirm our support for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. we applaud the citizens of the majority of states which have enshrined in their constitutions

the traditional concept of marriage. and we support the campaigns underway in several other states to do so. and take a look at what the republican candidate mitt romney said back in may about his opposition to not only gay marriage, but even civil unions. >> i think people have differing views on marriage. when i served as governor of my state, this issue arose. the same-sex marriage and civil union. i pointed out that i'm in favor and i don't favor civil union or gay marriage. >> you're so far right on this issue, they're not going to do anything about dom aurks. they want to put it in the constitution that you can never have a same-sex marriage. >> it's not going to happen. there's not enough votes in either party. that is a problem. what did happen in that committee, in the general committee on the platform for the first time there was outright vocal, healthy opposition to that language. in fact, there was an intent to

compromise with civil unions. obviously, that failed. >> why don't you have a floor demonstration like in the old days. stand up on the floor for everybody's pro-gay rights. why don't you go to the floor of your convention and say this isn't fair? >> well, what happened is you saw an anchor around the neck of candidates up and down the ticket. that platform usually platforms are a no consequence for any candidate at any time. but this cycle, it actually matter. >> what did you personally do to stop them from doing it again? >> what would i do? >> yeah. >> did you testify? >> yes, we did. >> you? personally? you? >> yes, pre-platform hearing sessions, there were meetings -- actually, log cabin republicans were invited to attend. so one of the things that we did get in there is don't mess with open service. they said we're not going to support that.

>> let me get back to joan, thanks for joining us tonight, joan. i think this is a partisan issue. i do read platforms, unlike you, clark. and the party is going to fight for it in perpetuity to the point of putting it in the united states constitution and running on that platform means something to me. it means serious challenge to the direction of history. your thoughts? >> i agree. and i know that clark has fought the good fight and lost and i expect he's going to continue to lose for at least a little while. there is the ark of history bending in the direction of gay rights and, you know, to have george will say that it was brutal, but it was also true. when you look at the younger generation, you look at our kids and even republican kids, they're not as liberal on this issue as democratic kids, but they're getting there. so, overtime, this will change. the problem right now for clark and for all republicans who are trying to liberalize their party in any way, maybe that's on immigration and on women's

rights. they have doubled down on a certain kind of high bound, white, conservative christian, very backwards base. and they have pandered to that base for so long that it's very hard to imagine an electoral future. >> it's worse than that. you guys, carl rove and your buddies. remember carl rove? eight years ago, you went up to ohio and up to cleveland and you basically went to the black ministers and who was that guy? the boxing promoter. you guys went out and you rallied all of them. we've got to fight that gay marriage thing and you used that to destroy john kerry. >> in '04, that was an exploding cigar. and we're paying the price for that. there were -- >> did you fight? >> thank you for your service. we paid for it in the '08 cycle

when we weren't running on it. we certainly weren't running on it in 2012. we have been paying for it in spades since '04. the platform document was an anchor around the neck. >> okay. this country has never gone through a faster transition in thinking. and i'm part of it. all right? the public attitudes shifted dramatically in just a short period of time. i think you're going to be astounded by this. in 1996, not a million years ago, only 27% of the country supported same-sex marriage. just about a quarter of us. today, a majority, a healthy majority, 53% supported, only 46% opposed. i don't think there's any other issue. has anybody changed their mind this quickly? somebody pointed out, senator, i know you're a patriot and a military guy. have you noticed we're drafting these guys? he said i think you've got me. >> i don't think it's true to

say nobody came out on this issue. mitt romney did come out again and again. he's actually a person who ran, you know, in the 90s as more pro-gay rights than ted kennedy. >> do you know somebody used to say one man and one woman? it was a very interesting way. one man, and one woman. he would always argue it that way. >> right. so i just don't think it's fair to say that nobody ran on it. so you are really fighting an uphill battle. i think your side is going to win. >> we are going to win. >> when is your party going to change its platform? 2016? 2020? 2024?

>> i would say this next go around. if you can't see it, remove it. just strike it. >> so the progress with the log cabin? >> hey, this is gop at large. so you look at the crs. >> i love when people talk like that. okay. >> so if you look at college republicans and we're talking about the demographic shifts, the three of us recognize what george will stated the other day. the college republicans in '09, three years ago, updated their platform to reflect this. >> okay. speak right now to all gay republicans out there. what should they do? >> we need to be involved in the party process. so you need to be a delegate to the convention. you need to be involved in state parties like oregon, where they actually change their platform because of our work there. you need to be involved in state party politics. and this's how we get involved in the party. that's how it works. so you don't want to depend on the surrogate, per se. >> are candidates leaning forward or backward.

>> thank you for joining us. coming up, changing teams when charlie became the first big-state governor to switch sides since john connoley of texas became a republican. the gop has declared war on its delegates. charlie crisp joins us here tonight. president obama is campaigning out there. and republicans are considering. the question is will the president gain a small victory on taxes or a big deal. and we have the annualist, the most notable quotes of the year. the verbal gaps forever. let's see if you can guess which verbal stumble made the top of the list. finally, remember, 1%? 8%?

of course, 47%. this is "politics nation." the place for politics.

listen to what newt gingrich said yesterday on "meet the press". >> if their competitor is going to be hillary clinton and supported by barack obama, trying to win that will be truly the super bowl. and the republican party, today, is incapable of competing at that level. what a statement. i think that makes sense. and we'll be right back.

welcome back to "politics nation." when the governor of a major state switches political parties, it's very big news. now, we've got former florida governor charlie crist who anounszed he's leaving the party. in a tweet friday night, he wrote "proud and honored to join the democratic party in the home of president obama. it was accompanied by this picture of him taken at the white house with his voter registration form. i'm joined now by former florida republican governor, democrat, charlie crist. gov new york city i will always call you governor. it may be more appropriate some day, but it's an honor to have you on this show. i just happened to hilt you up with a hardball question. peter freeman said you sat at his table, not too long ago, his breakfast table. and you said i am a ronald reagan republican. were you then -- are you now so changed that that's not true? >> i think the party has changed is what's really happened.

i think regan is a great kparm. my friend, jeb bush, said not long ago, that ronald reagan would probably not be successful in today's republican party. that tells you everything you need to know. and i think it's the leadership of the party more than the membership. what's happened on issue after issue, and you know this better than i do. whether it's immigration, education, voter suppression, what the leadership has done is, say on immigration, we want deportation. when it talks about education, it's talking about not funding it anymore. when they talk about voter suppression, they deny people the right to vote -- >> but you grew up in this party. it has been a party tough on immigration before, hasn't it?

hasn't it been a tough party on a number of issues you've mentioned before? >> there's no question about that. >> when do you think the republican parties broke bad? when did it start to be a part that you couldn't be a member of anymore? >> i think it started several years ago. maybe two, three years ago. i mean, i left the party two years ago and became an ind pen dependent. i did so, because of the fact that on all of those issues, it just wasn't comfortable for me to be there anymore. but, you know, for me, as a live and let live kind of guy, as somebody who wants to be toll rant, who wants to be kind, the leadership doesn't seem to embrace that kind of view. so it became uncomfortable to me. the values that my mother and father raised me and my three sisters with were to do unto others. be good to other people. reach out to them. we're all in this together. >> i love all of that. >> those things don't matter to me. i think they matter to the american people. >> well, i think you're right on all of that stuff.

but i va to warn you, governor, there is a blue plate special blue ribbon you have to buy into everything. for example, you have to be against vouchers now. did you know that? under the democratic party, you must be totally for the public schoolteachers. are you okay with that? >> i'm fine with that. >> you're fine with that. are you for any kind of enforcement on immigration? any kind of enforcement? are you comfortable with that kind of thing? actually, you have to have a work permit, something like that that might not be too comfortable to people on the hard left. >> i think we fleed to have a path way to citizenship. >> what about enforcement? what about enforcement? you're going for the low-hanging fruts here. what about the tough stuff? you have to be very weak on enforcement, don't you? >> i don't know if you have to or not. i think you have to do -- each individual has to do what they want in their heart and what they believe is right. and that's what i'm going to do. whatever the issue might be. i'm going to be guided by common

sense and my heart and my upbringing and what i think is fair and right for all people. >> but you're going to accept the democratic party's sort of mainstream arguments, right? all of them? >> yes, yes, sure. >> that's quite a switch for me. >> i'm willing to be a democrat because i think the democratic party is where i am much more comfortable than i was as a republican. or even an independent. i really do. i went to monticello last week and had an opportunity to see jefferson's home. this guy who talked about try to look out for each other, tried to do what was right. he's a great leader and a great man. there was a great book and i just enjoyed reading your book on john f.k. >> i do think you were a very popular governor. and ill think i talked to you lieutenant governor on an airplane a while back and he said if you stayed there, you'd still be there.

did you like that job? >> oh, it's a great job. absolutely. i talked to bob graham about it and he said charlie, when you're governor of the state, it's like being the quarterback of the football team. you have the opportunity to call a lot more plays than you do when you're serving in the u.s. senate. you're more of a spectator. >> where was he when you needed him five years ago. if he would have advised you to do that, you'd still be governor. >> well, maybe so. i had the wonderful opportunity and my wife did, and they are lovely people. he is a great floridan and a great friend. >> if you had to advise somebody, what would be your main knocks against the republican party 2012 right now? >> well, i just don't think they're very tolerant anymore. and not very compassionate. at least the leadership. my mom and dad are very compassionate people and they're still republicans. and i love them to death. but i think the leadership of the party really has lost its way.

i was proud to be what i was. it was the party of teddy roosevelt who founded and set up our national parks system. those things are important to me, especially as a floridan. so when the party started moving away from those kinds of things, taking away the sunday to go vote, in the african american community, there's a great tradition to go and vote after church. and to take that away, it just seemed like, to me, there was real suppression going on. it wasn't a toll rant party. it wasn't doing what was right for the environment or pub lip education. i'm a public school kid. my dad was on the school board. i have three sisters, two of them public schoolteachers here in florida. i have a heart for that kind of thing. people have told me for a long time, chris, charlie, you've been a democrat. you just didn't know it. >> well, i think they should.

if they were reich me and sort of middle of the road and common sense republicans and they see what the leadership of the republican party is doing today, they ought to switch. they ought to become democrats. it's probably more true to their heart and their feeling if they're really more of a moderate-type republican. why won't they compromise? why won't they cooperate? why won't they do the kinds of things that the americans need and have done. this is the perfect example of it. >> i'm an optimist. i hope that that continues. >> well, come see me if you decide to run for governor. we ale have a nice platform right here. thank you so much. up next, the latest siting of milt romney in a place you'd never expect. never.

this is hardball, the place for politics. those little things still get you. for you, life's about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor

about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

back to "hardball" now. ring side seats in a fight in vegas. apparently, romney visited paciao in his dressing room before the fight and wished him luck. romney's attempt at small talk, however, might have you thinking back to those awkward moments in the campaign. romney said, "hello, manny. i ran for president. i lost".

and so did manny, knocked out in the sixth round. now a reminder that the election is over. that president obama won. allen west lost his bid for reelection. what does he think about republicans negotiating with president obama on the fiscal cliff? like a lot of other things, it all comes down to socialism. here's what he told radio host mark levin. >> i think this whole thing about having negotiations with president obama is silly. president obama is a marxist, socialist, rigid ied lo log. and for whatever reason he believes he had some self-conceived mandate to go out and further destroy and ruin our economy. >> if you have any lingers nostalgia, that should kill it. patrick murphy somehow cheated to win the race, supposedly. >> the most important thing everyone has to understand is my voice is not going to be lost. we've gotten a lot of

opportunities, a lot of offers and we're going to make sure that we have continue to have that platform. i'm not going away just because of a congressional race where he seems to have had to cheat to beat me. >> following the show, the west campaign spent about $18 million for the election, more than quadruple, four times, what his opponent spent and then beat him. finally, an associate of the gambino crime family. several charges, the new york post got ahold of a cash of e-mails that tony's lawyer filed last week in an attempt to show that his client is friends with big-league politicians. well, the catch, see if any of these e-mails sound or look familiar from president obama. "anthony, i'm about to go to speak to the crowd here in chicago, but i wanted to thank you you first." from bill clinton, anthony,

thank you so very much for your message on my 66th birthday. hearing from you made a special day more memorable. that's right, he sent the judge pages of those notes. pathetic defense. up next, the fiscal cliff. president obama is in campaign mode while republicans are considering -- well, considering. can the president pull off a historic victory? maybe, you're watching hardball. the place for politics.

>> welcome back to "hardball." last night, john boehner met one-on-one to crunch a fiscal deal. tfts the first time the two men met alone like this since the summer of 2011. the president was in michigan speaking before autoworkers and selling his tax plan. >> if congress doesn't act soon, meaning the next few weeks, starting on january 1st, everyone is going to see their income taxes go um. it's true.

you all don't like that. we can solve this problem. all congress needs to do is pass a law that could prevent a tax hike on the first $250,000 of everybody's income. everybody. [ applause ] that means 98% of americans and probably a hundred percent of ewe. >> some americans are slowly but steadily facing on the reality of fiscal americans. >> there is a growing group of folks that are looking at this and realizing that we don't have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue before year end. i mean, we had one house. that's it. the presidency and the senates and the democrat's hands. so a lot of people are putting forth a theory and i actually think it has merit where you go in and give the president the two percent increase that he's

talking about, the rate increase on the top two percent. and, all of the sudden, the shift goes back to entitlement. >> well, senator, some republicans are aware if there's no fiscal agreement by the end of the year, republicans get the majority of the wlam. 53%, just 27%, blame the president. joining me political analyst michael steel and managing editor. thank you both for joining us. this is a fascinating time. i picked up the paper this morning, joy, and i noticed progress. i know it's for the first time we're in the same room together. i noticed when you looked at the numbers, with the washington post, which is a great paper, covering washington, as you know, it looks as if they're going to get somewhere short of a trillion on spending. i eechl looking at the whole thing. it looks like they're making progress. your assessment? >> i think there's progress except that whenever john boehner makes public statements.

he's continuing to say that the revenues can come. i think it's clear that the white house is not going to give on that. boehner is going to have to find a way to get his caucus to understand that the top rats are going to come up. there's a lot these two guys can work on, but boehner has got to give. >> why do you think the president is spending so much time on the road drumming up this issue of making sure that the regular people, the 98% get the tax cut protected and not the rich. why does he keep focused on that piece of the fight over and over again. what's the strategy here? >> it's really hard to defend why it is that the one thing that you're standing for, the one thing you're saying that would stop stop a deal is tax cuts for the top two percent. most people can't relate to that, even if these republican districts. he's going to places like pennsylvania, he's going to swing states where those republicans are having a really hard time explaining to people

while they're holding up their tax cut just so that the ceo of some wall street firm can keep their tax cuts. it's a really difficult idea to defend for republicans. and the president knows that. >> i'm responding to boxing imagery because of the attendance of mitt romney and his wife. so i'm thinking of adrian. and i'm actually thinking of punching the guy in the eye that's bleeding. so obama is bassically a welter weight fighter. he's finding the other guy's weak ps. he keeps punching the bad eye. >> and i think that's why corker is like can you move your head? just move and get, you know, let's go for a fresh target. >> exactly. it's to go for a fresh target here. and the fresh target is give the president the top two%. okay, it may not be 39, make it 37%. and make it where the president doesn't want a band. >> they're talking about the clock ticking. if they can get it done roughly this week and next week, can

they -- what's the name that's tough for republicans from your side? would it be easier on raising the rate for the rich but not quite the 39.6? >> i think it's that plus -- >> which one? rate change or the level -- >> the level with which you raised that number, you know, from 250 to 400. even democrats are in that room saying yeah, we could probably look at 500,000 or a million dollars. i think the president is going to have to give at some point on the entitlement front. they're just stalling that e venn shl outcome. look, boehner has, right now, a few cards that he can play. he wants to quiet the noise on his side. you talk about the joint references. why is he always saying what he's saying publicly. that's just to make sure that people know that, look, this is still important for us. but he gets inside the room. you even eluded to that

movement. >> you're laying out what you think republicans can give. what do you think the democrats, the moderates, the progress ifrs really want to see on the other side? do they want to see the rate change for the rich? above 250, 300, 400? do they want to say before you take a piece out of me, you've got to take a piece out of them. >> i think the 250 above is really important 679 i'll fell you why that is. it's because if you look at who got hurt the most in the downturn, it was the 98%, right? the very rich, the wealthiest in this country did pretty well. they did well even as the rest of the country has fallen often the cliff. so the idea that you're going to make it a little more progressive, even if later on you did tax reform, you will now made that tax code a little more aggressive. you will have given a little bit more pain to the top two percent.

i think it's really important to stay with what the president ran on, the 250 and above. if they don't make a deal, it's going to happen anyway. it's going to happen anyway. a new poll shows raising taxes on the rich, no surprise there. i think 60% of the country favored raising tax on households. as you say, make 250,000 or more. and just 38% opposing. i always think about that. >> that's fine. but 36 don't. >> i really don't think that people who make $255,000 a year, a family of four, $255,000 a year of annual income or adjusted gross income is rich. >> it matters on where you live. >> take that number. divide it by 12 months. >> if you're paying city tax in a big -- >> that may be true, but, again, rich is a relevant term. >> here's the thing, though. fewer than 6% of americans make that kind of money, do you know what i mean?

if you live in new york or d.c., you may not think that sounds like a lot of money. where i grew up in colorado or arkansas or north dakota, believe me, very few people you know are making that kind of money. >> believe me, pennsylvania has very few counties who even know people. up next, from etch-a-sketch to legitimate rape. remember those great phrases to 47%? yale has the list of the most notable screw up quotes of the year. they're almost all terrible. which quote tops your list? we'll be right back. this is "hardball," a place for politics.

the state is expected a union stronghold into a right-to-work state. the republican governor rick snyder says he'll sign the measure. >> by the way, what we shouldn't do, i just got to say this. what we shouldn't be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages to work. we'll be right back. . we're back.

we're back. of all of the memorable lines this year, and there were many, which ones proved to be the most notable? well, for the seventh year, fred shapiro has released his infamous list for the top ten quotes. they are certainly some of the most memorable lines spoken this year. which ones will stand the test of time? you be the judge. come sit through a few of them. we've got eugine roberts. washington bureau chief for mother jones, both are nbc political analysts. here we go.

let's look at this one. let's start with a memorable moment from the spring while we were still in the middle of a tough primary fight that pushed romney to the far right. the question many were asking was could he pivot back to the center in the general election. and then this happened. the number seven quote of the year, let's watch. >> he hit a reset button for the fall campaign, everything changes. it's almost like an etch-a-sketch. you can kind of shake it up and we start all over again. >> impact statement of etch-a-sketch. >> that quote confirmed what everyone suspected of mitt romney. the great thing about a gaffe is the truth. >> yeah, if you don't agree with me now, wait two minutes and you will agree with me. >> okay. here's one that's much more infamous because it really hurt among women. if one comment crystallized the overwhelming trouble the republican party had with women, it was this. take a look at the number 6 category here. here it is. >> first of all, from what i understand from doctors, that's really rare. if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to

shut that whole thing down. >> okay, for quack medicine, that's got to be the award winner. >> it's so painful to watch and hear him say that. i think the key thing is, what, you know, got him not to become senator, remember, the republican party turned against him for that remark. but, then, a few weeks later u came running right back. >> what was worse, his surmise that most women shouldn't be believed when they were raped, because legitimate rape meant the ones that really were raped, or this crazy alchemy that you don't get pregnant if you don't really want to be? >> it just goes to the whole republican narrative that they don't know science, don't care about science and don't really understand. >> the former was obnoxious. the second was stupid. >> needless to say, after a bad performance in the first debate, the president was looking to come on strong in the last two. here was a memorable line from the third debate that ranked as the number five quote of the year. take a look. >> you mentioned the navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. well, governor, we also have

fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military has changed. we have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them. we have ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines. >> take a look at the number four quote. >> i think it's interesting the president just said something which is that on the day after the attack, he went in the rose garden and said that this was an act of terror. >> that's what i said. >> you said in the rose garden the day after the attack it was an act of terror. it was not spontaneous demonstration. that what you're saying? >> please proceed, governor. >> so why was that so powerful? you're chuckling. but why does it work so well for him to say please proceed, governor. >> exactly. just continue because you're

about to get slammed. and there is an ominous tone there. and romney had to kind of think gee, do i keep going? but he kept going. >> had said it was an act of terrorism. >> it was a dismissive tone. >> we didn't know in realtime that he had the guy trap at that point. we only knew don't start pushing me around. i can push you around. i'm the president. sheer someone that hurt the president. let's take a look at this one. this is ranked as number three. if you watched the republican convention you, might have heard this a few times. it was the most important line of the year, at least for them. on the unlisted, ranked number three. this one hurt the president, i think. >> if you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help there was a great teacher somewhere in your life. somebody helped to create this unbelievable american system that we have that allowed you to thrive. somebody invested in roads and bridges. if you got a business, you didn't build that. >> they used that a lot against him saying he is almost a socialist argument where the

person is not responsible for their business success because the society somehow did it for them. >> well, they claimed he was insulting small business people, and they didn't play the intro. they edited it out when he was basically saying everyone in america gets to where they are inside the context. and they spent a whole night at the convention going over that again and again and again. and all the polls showed at the end of the day it got them nowhere. >> oh, come on. it hurt. it bugged him for a long time there. >> but you can't build a campaign, if you're romney -- >> are you going to give an inch on anything? i'm asking a philosophical question. >> doing fine, that was a much worse statement to make than this one. >> what about this one? what do you think? weigh. in. >> thing was pretty bad, actually. and yes, it was taken out of context. but in fact he said it. it did hurt him.

in the end, it doesn't hurt that much. but that's because of the huge pushback, weeks and weeks of pushback on it. >> let's goat to last ones. as just quoted. as soon as this quote was added, it blew up the network. twitter went wild. here is number two on the list this year. let's watch. >> we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. i went to a number of women's groups and said can you help us find folks? and they brought us whole binders full of women. >> what was funny there, binders full of women? >> it's funny because it's like a marx brothers line, binders full of women. >> he should have said is binders full of resume. >> exactly. but talk about objectifying women. >> well, the binder, the whole aspect. it's crazy. >> i didn't think that was such a big deal when i heard it the first time because i thought he was referring to resumes. but immediately twitter went bananas. >> here is the last one. the quote of the year. we know it is. but here it is. listen to it. you probably remember a few

discussions about this throughout the campaign. it never went away. i don't think it ever will. let's watch. >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. all right there are 47% who are with him, dependent on him, who believe they are victims who believes the government has responsibility to care for them. and so my job is not to worry about those people. i'll never convince them they should take person responsibility for their lives. >> that catering group that locked in that camera and picked it up. >> 67 seconds versus a billion dollars in coke and rove and advertising and everything else. one person on their own. don't tell your kids at home they can't make a difference. one person on their own undid. >> what was it? a cell phone? why do you think it had such bounce in the campaign? >> i think two things. i think it confirmed the narrative the people had already established. i think using the term 47%. if he said half the people, or a

lot of americans, his clinical passionate precise description. >> i think david is right. it was the precision of it. and the fact that he really believes it. he still does. he has been thinking about this. he still believes it. >> he found a stat on this he just loved. what a great show this has been. thank you, eugene robinson. when we return, let me finish with the numbers that made a difference in the presidential election. you'll recognize three of them. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. mely delicios my husband and i can't stop eating 'em! what's...that... on your head? can curlers! tomato basil. potato with bacon. we've got a lotta empty cans. [ male announcer ] hear from our chefs on facebook this friday!

let me finish tonight with this. here is a "hardball" takeaway for you. think about the role play this past election year by percentages. remember 1%? that was the battle cry of the occupy movement. the tents may be gone, but that 1%, that focus on the very top of this country's economic pile had a lot of influence. somehow it persuaded a lot of voters that fairness was a matter for debate, a decider of how you should vote. another is another one, 8%. the obama hadn't gotten that down below that number, down to 7.7% in november, he would have had a far harder time winning last month. i believe i said this earlier, if it was under 8, obama would become the favorite. if not he wouldn't. imagine if that number had been spikin